STORRS -- As a 10-year old just beginning to embrace the game of basketball, Watertown's Becca Pope often pretended she was playing for the UConn women's basketball team.

She idolized the Huskies and went to their basketball camp each year hoping to learn to be just like them.

"I've wanted to play here since I was a little kid," Pope said, "and every single one of the players was a hero to me."

In October, Pope realized her childhood dream when she received an opportunity rarely offered to Connecticut kids. Huskies coach Geno Auriemma invited the former All-Berkshire League guard from Nonnewaug to play for the premier women's basketball program in the country as a non-scholarship walk-on.

"We are always looking to see if there is somebody out there that we might want to have in our program," Auriemma said. "The kid approached (assistant coach) Shea Ralph and said, 'I would like to give it a shot.' Shea worked her out and gave her an opportunity to play against our guys a little bit. Everything was fine. We thought this could be pretty cool. We have done this in the past, and it could work out pretty well."

Pope practiced with the Huskies for one week only to receive the disappointing news that she failed the team physical with a torn meniscus in her knee.

Before she hardly had a chance to break a sweat, Pope was cut from the team. No games. No road trips. No chance to watch from the bench as the Huskies attempted to win the eighth national championship this coming April at the Final Four in New Orleans.

Instead, she underwent surgery to have the meniscus repaired, hobbled along on crutches for two weeks and was forced to wear a brace for a month. While it certainly wasn't an equitable tradeoff, Pope accepted it with a great attitude.

"It was disappointing to go through a week of practice and have that happen, but also I am kind of looking at it as a blessing in disguise," she said. "I get to come back next year and get in a full preseason with the team and learn the ropes better and I won't lose a year of eligibility this year kind of halfway playing and halfway injured."

According to Ralph, Pope will actually be back with the Huskies this season, albeit as a practice player and not a member of the team.

Pope, a junior transfer from UConn-Avery Point, originally contacted Ralph to ask for a tryout. Based on Ralph's positive evaluation of her workouts, Auriemma extended the walk-on opportunity.

While the Huskies had to rescind that offer due to the medical evaluation, Ralph said that once Pope is cleared to play in February she will become a member of the white practice team, comprised mostly of male practice players.

It will give her an opportunity to learn the plays and figure out first-hand what is expected of her, including how hard she will have to play. If she handles it well, she will likely be invited back next year as a walk-on member of the team again.

"This will be good for her," Ralph said. "It is hard as a high school All-American to get thrown into this. Now you take a walk-on with a knee injury who doesn't know our offense. To throw her into that is a lot to ask of someone. It probably is a blessing in disguise."

Ralph said the Huskies could really use an extra player next season because they graduate three seniors from this year's 11-player team and are only bringing in one recruit.

"Just even to have another body will be good, and she can play," Ralph said. "Don't leave her open. She can shoot. In that one individual (workout) we had with her, I think she shot like 60 percent from the 3-point line. Some of my guards don't do that so I was like, 'Alright, I think we can use her.'"

After graduating from Nonnewaug in 2010, Pope played at Avery Point. She averaged 18.7 points as a freshman then led the team in scoring (18.6) and rebounding (7.4) while earning All-New England and second-team All-America recognition as a sophomore last season.

She planned on playing at the University of Bridgeport this season, but then decided the academic opportunities at UConn suited her better. Nonetheless, she signed up for the Integrated Athletic Performance training program at World Gym in Watertown to keep in shape.

"I was a little burnt out on basketball this summer, so I put it on hold," Pope said. "I worked out doing conditioning work at IAP in Watertown. They talked me into going for it, honestly. I went in there training for basketball, then I got burnt out, and then they talked me back into it. So I came here and gave it a go."

Pope goes to practice every day now, trying to pick up on things from the sidelines so she will be mentally prepared in February. Her responsibilities this year are simple. Play hard once she's able to challenge the Huskies in practice, or just be there to clap, cheer and encourage them. She's thrilled, considering that she would have accepted any role on the basketball team including a chance to be one of the team managers if it was offered.

Now she has some great opportunities in front of her.

"The traveling with the team and the overall experience is obviously going to be awesome," Pope said. "It would be really, really cool to make a shot in the Final Four, but I am assuming it would have to be a blowout for that to happen. Just being part of a national championship team would be incredible. Just to see what that was like, the trip to the Final Four and all that."

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